Whitney moved to Minneapolis in September 2022 knowing almost no one and joined a Bible study at River Valley. As it turns out, the Bible study met at the house where Carter lived. One night before Bible study, Whitney asked if she could come early since she lived far away and didn’t want to make the drive twice. She promised she’d just quietly work until it started. She arrived early. Carter was there. Now while it may not have been love at first interaction… when Carter first saw Whitney, he leaned over to his friend and asked, “Who is that cute girl?” So perhaps it was something. Over the next year, Whitney slowly became part of Carter’s friend group. Somewhere along the way, she discovered he did carpentry and asked if he’d help with a basement project. Carter came over to frame and drywall… while Whitney sat on the stairs and talked to him the entire time. Between power tools and long conversations, something began to grow. They talked about sports, joked easily, flirted a little, and had the kind of intentional conversations that make you think, “Oh… this might be something.” When Carter decided it was time to ask Whitney out, he prepared carefully. This included attending Monday night pickleball two weeks in a row (despite not liking pickleball) to work up to the ask! And even one night at 10:30 PM, he texted saying he was stopping by to drop off materials for a closet he was building. Instead, he stood in her kitchen and asked her out. Whitney: “Are you serious?” Carter: “Yes.” Whitney: “Are you serious?” Carter: “Yes.” Whitney: “This is for real?” Carter: “Yes.” Whitney: “Yes!” Their first official date was picking up Red Wagon Pizza and eating it while paddle boarding on Cedar Lake. One of their first public dates was Ang & Ken’s wedding — where they may or may not have caused a small stir on the dance floor. From the beginning, friends kept saying, “I knew it.” Fast forward to December 2025. For two straight weeks, Whitney and Carter spent every spare minute flipping Carter’s house — late nights after work and long weekends — determined to finish before Christmas break. (Carter insists he wanted to propose earlier, but Whitney simply would not stop working.) One Sunday night, mid-backsplash tile, Carter suggested they call it, put on real clothes, and go to dinner to exchange Christmas gifts before leaving town. Whitney agreed. Then Carter got a call from his brother asking for help hanging a painting that night. Whitney was confused… but said yes. Instead of pulling up to his brother’s apartment, Carter parked nearby and suggested they walk. A few steps later, they were on a frozen Cedar Lake. Standing on the dock, under the stars, with the Minneapolis skyline glowing in the distance — right where they had their first date — Carter got down on one knee. Full circle.